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Bordeaux Heaven
By perryd | November 27, 2007
What to choose? Perhaps the ‘61 Lafite Rothschild. Maybe the ‘45 d’Yquem…no, make that the ‘97 d’Yquem. The 1897 d’Yquem!
Surrounded by row upon row of outstanding first- and second-growth Bordeaux, from all of the important vintages…a dream? No, it’s a visit to the Société des alcools du Québec store in the old town. My wife and I spent Thanksgiving in Vieux Quebec this year, and among the highlights of the trip was a visit to this amazing wine shop in the walls of Chateau Fontenac, up on the hill. About half of the large retail space is devoted to Bordeaux, and there are some truly remarkable wines on display, including several large-format first-growths.
Just seeing so many outstanding wines in one place is a treat. Ausone next to Palmer, Margaux nestled alongside a Mouton. The fragile wines, like the 1897 Sauternes, are behind glass, but the rest are on beautifully crafted display racks for the handling.
This location is apparently a small outlet (!). SAQ has stores throughout the region, including a large store in the St. Foy area near the malls. Frommer’s calls the St. Foy shop ‘a supermarket of wine’. SAQ offers three publications, including The Wine Courier, and has an extensive online store that’s worth a visit. If you like the cold, they’re currently advertising for a store manager :^)
Topics: Wine |